Potential Republican presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., hit the Sunshine State for the second time in recent weeks on Thursday. Ryan, the chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee and running mate offormer Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., in the 2012 presidential election, appeared at a fundraiser in Longboat Key with three Republican congressmen from the Sunshine State: Vern Buchanan, David Jolly and Jeff Miller....U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), fired away at the three congressmen, insisting they supported Ryans budget plan which, she argued, helped the wealthy and hurt the middle class. One problem: Jolly actually voted against Ryans budget proposal. ...
Ryan is not the only potential Republican presidential candidate with Florida on his mind. This Sunday, Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., will hit the Sunshine State to campaign with Gov. Rick Scott. Christie and Scott will attend church services in Boca Raton and Miami before holding a rally in Plantation and events in Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Using his position as chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), Christie has been hitting the road for the GOP including making a number of Florida swings for Scott. Of course, there are other states on Christies mind, including Iowa where he is scheduled to campaign on Saturday. ...
While most eyes are on the campaigns, there could be a major reshuffling on Capitol Hill and Florida congressmen could be aiming for new positions. Roll Callhas the detailsand notes Miller is a wild card to become the Intelligence Committee chairman. Still, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, gets to make the pick and he is expected to pick U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, D-Calif., while U.S. Rep Peter King, R-N.Y., and U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., are also in the mix. ... If Miller becomes chairman of the Intelligence Committee, he will have to give up the chairmanship of the Veterans Affairs Committee. If thats the case, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., the current vice chairman, has a chance of moving up to grab the gavel. Also in the running are U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., and U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn. ... Still, Roll Call is discounting the possibility that Miller goes anywhere. By almost every GOP account, Miller has done a solid job dealing with a number of high-profile issues, and hell likely stay put, Roll Call reported this week. ... Roll Call also downplays U.S. Rep. John Micas, R-Fla., chances of becoming chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Other candidates in the mix are U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio. Mica faces the longest odds, Roll Call reported. He has a reputation for being an unreliable party spokesman and members worry that his quirks would be a distraction -- and an embarrassment. ...
Boehner was in South Florida this week, campaigning with Miami-Dade School Board member Carlos Curbelo on Wednesday. Curbelo is running against U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., and the Democrat incumbent was quick to try and fundraise off Boehners trip to South Florida. ... Garcia looked to polish his bipartisan credentials on Friday. Isalmorada Mayor Ted Blackburn, an independent, and former Islamorada Mayor Ken Philipson, a Republican, campaigned with Garcia. ... Of course, Garica is also getting the help of prominent Democrats. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., toured LAB Miami with Garcia to showcase economic innovation and small businesses. ...
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., continues to try to play on the national stage. This week, Grayson encouraged supporters to back the re-election efforts of U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. Grayson also continued his efforts to get Democrats to back Kentucky Secretary of State Allison Grimes as she runs against U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. ... U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., teamed up with three other Republican senators --John Boozman of Arkansas, John Cornyn of Texas and David Vitter of Louisiana -- to send a letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday, urging him to ensure any American arms sales to Vietnam be contingent upon human rights issues. Obama is planning to end the longtime arms embargo on that Asian nation. ... The Florida chapter of the religious conservative Constitution Party will hold its annual meeting in Lake City on Sat., Nov 1. Tennessee attorney Darrell Castle, the former vice chairman of the national party, will be speaking at the event. When Chuck Baldwin, at the time a pastor in Florida, was the Constitution Partys presidential candidate in 2008, Castle was his running mate. In 2012, Castle launched a last-minute bid for the partys presidential nomination but was defeated by former U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
